KARACHI, March 28: The by-elections for 118 local body seats that were held here on Sunday were marred by accusations of misuse of government machinery and rigging in favour of the government-backed candidates.
Pakistan People's Party and Jamaat-i-Islami, in their separate statements, said that armed men belonging to the Muttahida Qaumi Movement had harassed candidates and their agents affiliated with the Awam Dost and Al Khidmat groups, respectively.
The PPP and the JI accused MQM men, who, they said, were accompanied by MPAs and MNAs, of openly indulging in vandalism despite the presence of the police and administration officials.
They also accused the MQM men of occupying polling stations besides saying that their polling agent were physically thrown out of the polling stations besides stuffing ballot boxes in favour of the government-backed candidates.
President of the Sindh chapter of the Pakistan People's Party Nisar Ahmad Khuhro rejected the polling results, saying that the polling was an illegal display of force and weapons under the government's patronage.
Criticizing the Sindh governor and chief minister, Mr Khuhro said that there was no need to stage what he termed the election drama if the MQM had to resort to a show of arms to send its representatives to the local body.
Mr Khuhro, who is also leader of the opposition in Sindh Assembly, recalled that during the previous local body elections, when the MQM had opted to boycott the polls, no incidents of violence, including firing on polling stations, insulting women and kidnapping of polling agents in contrast to the Sunday's events, adding that such incidents were rife today.
He said that on Sunday noon, dozens of polling agents of the Awam Dost group's candidates had been kidnapped by armed gangs, adding that such incidents had occurred in polling stations located in the CMS School on the Nishtar Road, Gazdarabad, Ramswami, Ranchore Line, Soldier Bazaar, Liaquatabad and 'C-One' Area. Their lives were being threatened, he said.
Jamaat-i-Islami Karachi chief Dr Mairajul Huda Siddiqui said that MQM had maintained its traditional role of resorting to terrorism and vandalism. He was addressing the participants of a protest demonstration staged by local bodies candidates outside Karachi Press Club who boycotted the elections.
"Open interference in by-elections by the government and the MQM's resorting to vandalism renders the election process meaningless", the JI leader said, adding that MQM's rival candidates had been threatened of dire consequences if they did not withdraw from the contest in favour of the government-back candidates. Some of the candidates' houses were fired upon, too, to reinforce these threats, he said.
He said voters and political workers were stopped from reaching the polling stations while candidates were stopped from entering the polling stations besides some of the candidates were physically abused and tortured in the presence of police, who chose to play the role of a silent spectator.
He said the polling staff was terrorised and presiding officers were forced to use the voter's seals in favour of the government-backed candidates. Rejecting the poll results, he accused the government of manipulating the polling results, electoral rigging and open terrorism.
Dr Miarajul-Huda said that the police had declined to register FIRs in this regard. PML-F leader Bostan Ali Hoti, and MNA Mohammad Hussain Mehanti also spoke on the occassion.
Candidates from UC-5 and UC-9 Korangi belonging to Al-Khidmat group Shazia Ajmeri, Rasheeda Khanum, Shamim Akhtar and Khursheed Ahmad in their joint letter sent to the Election Commissioner, Sindh, and other officials announced their decision to boycott the elections.
Likewise, Abdul Sattar Channa and Gul Zaman from UC-3, Imran Ali and Fauzia Aslam from UC-4, Hajira Begum and Begum Kabir from UC-6 Korangi Town said that they had decided to boycott the polls after having sent too many faxes to authorities.
The JI accused that Al Fatah polling station in UC-2 Sadar Town Gazdarabad was taken over by armed men. Likewise, in Civil Aviation polling station in UC-6 Gazdarabad voters were stopped from entering polling stations.
They said polling agents at polling stations in UC- 3, UC-7 and UC-8 were harassed while the police refused to register FIR. In UC-2 of Gulshan-e-Iqbal, MPA Nasrullah Shaji was attacked by MQM's armed men who also indulged in heavy aerial firing after he insisted on police to take action.
In UC-6 of Gadap Town, Al Khidmat group's candidate Shingara Maseeh and labour councillor Abdul Lateef were attacked by armed MQM men. In UC-12 in Jamshed Town, MQM's MPA Mustafa Kamal had stopped the polling saying that the government had suspended the polling saying there was no kite symbol on the ballot paper despite the fact that the symbol of kite was not allotted to any one officially.
MUTTAHIDA: Parliamentary Party leader of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement in the National Assembly Dr Farooq Sattar has said that PPP and MMA, fearing defeat of their candidates at the hands of Haq Parast rivals in the local body by-elections, ran away from the field. They have now resorted to propaganda for face-saving, he deplored.
Talking to Dawn on Sunday night, Dr Sattar claimed that voting at various polling stations had been 'blocked', and accused the PPP and MMA activists of using state machinery, through the city government, in the by-elections. He said that at least one Haq Parast candidate had sustained injuries in firing at a polling station in Gulistan-i-Jauhar.
In Quaidabad also, members of the Elders' Committee were subjectedto harassment and in Garden area, provincial Minister for Technology Mustafa Kamal was attacked.
Dr Farooq Sattar alleged that the PPP and JI indulged themselves in provocative activities at different places to shatter peace in the city. He claimed that in Majeed Colony, MPA Maulana Hazarvi's guard, in civil dress, was caught with an illegal klashnikov in his possession, and was handed over to Rangers who later let him off.
MQM MPAs have also condemned 'vandalism by armed terrorists' belonging to the so-called political and religious parties. In a statement issued on Sunday, they deplored attacks on polling stations and houses of Haq Parast candidates.
Meanwhile, the MQM Coordination Committee has claimed that activists of PPP and JI attacked Haq Parast candidates and ransacked their polling camps in Thatta, Badin, Dadu, Sukkur, Jacobabad, Ghotki and other towns and villages of Sindh.
Supporters and sympathizers of the MQM were also harassed and attacked, said the committee, adding that 'PPP terrorists and armed men of feudal lords were involved in the attacks. Haq Parast candidates' polling agents were stopped from performing their duties, it claimed.
